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More job losses predicted

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 1:00pm

By DAVID JACOBS, The Center Square

The academic economist who sits on Louisiana’s Revenue Estimating Conference said Thursday the state probably won’t stop shedding jobs any time soon.
“We likely still have not seen the bottom of this,” said Stephen Barnes, who directs the Kathleen Blanco Public Policy Center at UL-Lafayette.
More than 66,000 Louisiana residents made initial unemployment claims last week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. About 300,000 have begun receiving benefits since the pandemic began, Barnes said, and many more claims are pending.
According to data Barnes presented Thursday to a legislative task force focused on economic recovery, almost 45 percent of the accommodation and food services workforce has filed for unemployment, more than any other sector. In the mining sector, which includes the struggling oil and gas industry, claims have been surprisingly low at less than 10 percent, Barnes said, possibly because firms already were pretty lean.
The construction industry has been considered “essential” during the pandemic, said Louisiana Associated General Contractors CEO Ken Naquin, and about 75 percent of the projects planned pre-pandemic are ongoing. But much of that work will be completed by late summer or early fall, and there’s nothing else coming down the pipeline, he said.
State Sen. Bret Allain, who chairs the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee, said lawmakers are working to pare down the legislation they will consider when they reconvene their suspended session on Monday. Spending bills must be approved before the next fiscal year begins July 1.
Though the regular session must end June 1, a special session is expected to be held this summer. Allain said lawmakers may also meet again this fall in a “cleanup” special session.
This year’s regular session is non-fiscal, which limits the financial matters that can be considered, though a special session could have a broader agenda. The legislature is required to meet and hear public comments in person, Allain said, though measures will be taken to allow for social distancing such as holding only one committee meeting at a time.
Many of the ideas discussed Thursday that speakers said would help the state’s economy recover are the same as what business leaders were pushing before the pandemic. Examples include tort reform, eliminating the state’s franchise tax, and creating a single centralized sales tax collector.
Some said they wanted to make sure unfunded safety mandates were not imposed on businesses, adding that some business owners would like help acquire personal protective equipment for their workers. Multiple speakers said businesses that are making a good-faith effort to protect their employees’ health should have some protection from legal liability if their workers get sick. And several complained that enhanced unemployment benefits were making it difficult to attract or retain workers who can make more money not working.
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Baton Rouge Republican, echoed many state-level Republ-icans in calling for a regional approach to reopening businesses currently shut down or limited by Gov. John Bel Edwards’ “stay at home” order.
“I think the governor has done a good job with coronavirus and managing the state through this,” Graves said. “I think that it is really important that we resume some degree of normalcy as quickly as possible.”

676 St. Mary people file jobless claims in a week

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:57pm

Another 676 St. Mary people filed initial claims for unemployment benefits during the week ending April 25, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported.
Statewide, 66,168 people filed initial claims.
The St. Mary total last week was down from 903 the week before.
Since the week ending March 21, when the first major anti-COVID-19 orders took effect, 4,557 St. Mary people have filed initial claims.
In St. Martin, another 667 people filed claims last week for a total of 4,646 since the pandemic reached Louisiana.
And in Assumption, 266 people filed claims last week for a total of 2,053 since the week ending March 21.

Hancock-Whitney gives to COVID-19 causes

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:55pm

Hancock Whitney has committed $2.5 million for investments in communities to help people in some of the Gulf South’s most vulnerable neighborhoods during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank said in a press release.
The investments provide much-needed financial support for the following priorities in local communities across Hancock Whitney’s banking footprint, including approximately
—$1 million for stocking local food pantries.
—$600,000 for supplies to help protect residents in some of the hardest hit and low-to-moderate-income communities and first responders.
—$800,000 for housing relief, including legal services to help disadvantaged individuals fight illegal evictions.
—$100,000 for the Hancock Whitney Associate Assistance Fund, in addition to $400,000 bank board members, executives, and associates have already contributed to help Hancock Whitney associates affected by the pandemic.
The bank has already partnered for several weeks with local restaurants across its footprint to provide more than 8,000 meals to healthcare professionals caring for COVID-19 patients.
That initiative has helped businesses stay open and pay hundreds of employees while emphasizing Hancock Whitney’s gratitude to #HealthcareHeroes.
Hancock Whitney leaders said the bank’s $2.5 million investment in communities and other relief efforts come at a critical time as the novel coronavirus continues to impact lives and livelihoods across the cities and towns the bank serves as well as the global community.
“We are, all of us, in this fight together to protect our loved ones, clients, colleagues, and communities from this virus,” said Hancock Whitney President and CEO John M. Hairston. “This pandemic is creating real, significant challenges for so many people in terms of adequate food, income, basic safeguards against the virus, and housing to shelter in place. Hancock Whitney has very deep roots in the communities we serve. It’s simply the right thing to do what we can so that together we help keep people safe and our communities strong.”

MAUDRY ANN CAVALIER

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:53pm

Maudry Ann Cavalier, a lifelong resident of Pierre Part, passed away on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. She was 72. She had a special place in her heart for all babies and helped her family in need. She constantly spoiled her nieces and nephews. Being around children brought a special joy to her life. Her unique voice and laughter will be missed.
Maudry is survived by her sisters, Dora Landry and Dorothy “Mary” Morgan and her brothers, Edward Cavalier and Ervin Cavalier.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Felician and Goldie Mayon Cavalier and her siblings, Laura Hidalgo, Theresa Cavalier, Guilday Cavalier, Edmond Cavalier, Charlie Cavalier and JB Cavalier.
A private service will be held.
We would like to thank all the doctors and nurses at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center for being so patient through this COVID-19 Crisis caring for “OUR” Taunt Marg.
To offer your condolences to the family, visit www.oursoFHPierrePart.com.
Ourso Funeral Home of Pierre Part is in charge of arrangements.

Wheel House for May 1

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:52pm

DONATIONS SOUGHT
The Charlie Roe Scholarship Fund is seeking donations. The late Charlie Roe started a scholarship fund years ago through the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, COVID- 19 didn’t allow for the annual auction fundraiser. In hopes of continuing the scholarship, the chamber, the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and Charlenne Gaddis, Roe’s daughter, is seeking donations to meet the $9,000 goal. Online donations can be made at www.stmarychamber.com, via mail with checks payable to St. Mary Chamber Scholarship Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 2606, Morgan City, LA 70381, or via credit card by calling 985-384-3830. Funds raised benefit St. Mary Parish graduating seniors.

Learning about the Golden Rule

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:49pm

Submitted Photo
Before the schools closed in March, Harvey Rabbit and friends visited Central Catholic Elementary School with the message, “Be A Golden Rule School – Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated." The program featured puppet Harvey Rabbit along with the ventriloquism, music, magic, and comedy of performers Tim and Laura Allured. The program had a positive message and was filled with fun for all.

Morgan City police radio logs for April 29

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:46pm

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.
Wednesday, April 29
6:58 a.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Alarm.
9:16 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Complaint.
10:40 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Assistance.
1:17 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Disturbance.
1:31 p.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Theft.
2:09 p.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Suspicious person.
2:19 p.m. 900 block of Short Street; Disturbance.
2:27 p.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Complaint.
2:42 p.m. 900 block of Seventh Street; Theft.
2:59 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
3:05 p.m. 900 block of Fourth Street; Criminal damage to property.
4:36 p.m. 1400 block of Second Street; Complaint.
4:51 p.m. 600 block of Freret Street; Theft.
5 p.m. Railroad Avenue and Fifth Street; Assistance.
6:27 p.m. 6000 block of La. 182; Accident.
6:55 p.m. 100 block of Mallard Street; Medical emergency.
7:08 p.m. 600 block of Egle Street; Disturbance.
8:15 p.m. 700 block of Arizona Street; Harassment.
9:45 p.m. 900 block of Willard Street; Medical emergency.
10:29 p.m. Keith Street; Suspicious subject/arrest.
Thursday, April 30
12:44 a.m. 500 block of Eighth Street; Medical emergency.
3:14 a.m. 300 block of Egle Street; Suspicious subject.

Franklin man faces drug charges

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:42pm

Staff Report

A Franklin man has been arrested by deputies on drug charges after a traffic stop, Sheriff Blaise Smith said.
—Kirk James Pollard, 50, Easy Street, Franklin, was arrested at 7:38 p.m. Thursday on charges of failure to signal turn, possession of crack cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and obstruction of justice-tampering.
Pollard was released on a $12,000 bond.
Smith also reported this arrest:
—Bryceson L. Freeman, 21, West Main Street, Jeanerette, was arrested at 12:37 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possession of marijuana and turning movements and signals required, and on a warrant for failure to appear on the charges of hunting without a resident license, hunting with unplugged gun or silencer, and hunting on DMAP without permission.
Freeman was later released on a summons to appear June 27.
Morgan City Police Chief James F. Blair reported this arrest:
—Mikelon Blaine Sears, 18, Kem Street, Patterson, was arrested at 10:35 p.m. Wednesday on charges of theft under $1,000 and resisting an officer.
A patrol officer patrolling the area of Roderick Street and La. 182 was flagged down by a concerned citizen. The citizen gave the officer a description of the suspicious individual and the bicycle he was riding.
Officers located Sears in the area matching the description. Officers attempted to speak with Sears, but he discarded the bicycle he was riding and fled from officers on foot. After a brief foot chase, he was taken into custody by patrol officers.
During the investigation, Sears admitted he had just stolen the bicycle he was riding. Officer was able to locate the owner of the bicycle and confirm it was recently stolen from their residence. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Morgan City Police Department for booking and incarceration.

Lawmaker predicts $500M state shortfall next year

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:41pm

DAVID JACOBS, The Center Square

Louisiana state lawmakers may be facing a deficit of between $450 million and $500 million next fiscal year, the state House Appropriations chairman said Wednesday.
Louisiana’s constitution requires a balanced budget, so reductions relative to current year spending would be needed. The state general fund, which is the portion of the state’s budget over which lawmakers have the most control, is about $10 billion.
Rep. Jerome Zeringue, a Houma Republican, says the crash in oil prices would make balancing the state’s budget difficult even without an unprecedented pandemic and response.
The state’s Revenue Estimating Conference has not yet adopted an official forecast showing how much money is likely to flow into state coffers.
“It’s going to be something that is a guess, at best an educated guess,” Zeringue said.
Zeringue on Wednesday participated in a webcast hosted by the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He noted lawmakers had expected to be able to spend a $187 million surplus from the last fiscal year. He said he does not anticipate a revenue shortfall this fiscal year; Gov. John Bel Edwards has said the same.
Though legislative leaders haven’t yet made it official, lawmakers expect to resume their session Monday. The current regular session ends June 1, though a special session afterward is widely expected. Lawmakers are constitutionally required to approve a state budget before the next fiscal year begins July 1.
“We’re trying to pare down the bills to what’s essential,” said Rep. Tanner Magee, also a Houma Republican and the House speaker pro tempore, essentially the second-ranking member behind Speaker Clay Schexnayder. “That always sounds easier than it actually is, because everybody thinks their bills are essential.”
Magee, who also participated in the webcast, expects House committees to only meet one at a time, and to hold committee meetings and meetings of the full chamber on different days to allow people to keep distance between each other. People entering the state capitol recently have had their temperatures taken and have not been allowed to sit next to each other during committee hearings.
Rep. Ted James, a Baton Rouge Democrat who recently recovered from a serious bout with COVID-19, has said he does not intend to return to the capitol anytime soon, arguing there is no safe way for the full House to safely practice social distancing. State Rep. Reggie Bagala died from the illness, James notes.

Tort reform debate centers on auto insurance

Fri, 05/01/2020 - 12:35pm

CATHERINE HUNT, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE—The biggest insurance companies, including State Farm, Allstate and GEICO, have announced temporary premium cuts and rebates of 15 to 25% for auto insurance customers in Louisiana since the coronavirus has kept drivers off the roads.
The savings are a welcome relief for the state’s roughly 3 million insured drivers, who together pay the second-highest premiums in the country, following only Michigan residents.
And Republicans in the state Legislature say they are looking for solutions that could permanently reduce car insurance rates through “tort reform,” changes that could reduce the number of lawsuits filed over accidents and the size of some of the damage awards.
“I know that insurance companies have given rebates because less people are driving, but we’re still the second highest in the country, and that’s not going to change,” said Sen. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge. “I think there is more of a need for this kind legislation now than before because of the coronavirus.”
The legislative session convened March 9, the same day that Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the state’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
The session was suspended a week later, and lawmakers hope to return to the Capitol in May to pass a new budget. They also would like to consider economic relief measures, either then or in a special session later this year, and that could include tort reform.
Republicans have long pushed for such changes. Talbot, who now chairs the Senate Insurance Committee, sponsored a bill last year that passed the Republican-controlled House.
But it failed in a Senate committee amid questions by Democrats and other critics about whether the changes really would lower premiums and be fair to people injured in car wrecks.
Louisiana’s rate of car accidents is on par with the rest of the country, but the rate of bodily injury claims is nearly double the national average. Talbot blames the state’s legal climate, contending that “there are things in our tort system that make us very unique to the rest of the country. ...
“I think the data proves that those things are creating an environment where these bodily injury claims are double the national average and causing premiums to go up and insurance companies to leave,” he said.
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon testified last April that changing the tort laws could reduce auto premiums, possibly by as much as 10 to 15%.
Democratic lawmakers and the trial lawyers who represent people injured in car wrecks are skeptical of Talbot’s tort reform bill.
They say that there is not enough evidence to guarantee that the changes would result in lower premiums.
Some say that the rates are high because up to 15% of Louisiana drivers do not have car insurance, and insured drivers end up paying more to compensate for the uninsureds’ lack of coverage.
Edwards also is skeptical of Talbot’s proposals and supports measures to eliminate some of the categories that insurance companies divide drivers into in setting rates.
“Premiums ought to be set on driving records, not on whether someone is poor or female or that sort of thing,” Edwards said.
“Obviously we will engage with the Legislature on other legislative instruments that could potentially reduce auto insurance premiums. I do believe there’s plenty of common ground that we can explore.”
Talbot’s bill focuses on four key areas in Louisiana’s tort laws.
First, it would lower the minimum dollar amount for an injury claim to be decided by a jury rather than a judge. Currently, either party in a lawsuit has the right to have a trial before a jury if the claim is for more than $50,000.
If the amount is less, a judge determines the verdict without a jury.
Talbot and business groups argue that decreasing this amount is necessary because judges’ decisions may be swayed by constituents or big campaign donors, who often include the trial attorneys who represent the people filing claims.
Louisiana has the highest threshold for a decision to be made by a jury in the country, according to the Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, a conservative group. Some states do not have any such requirements for holding jury trials.
Second, Talbot’s bill would eliminate the ability for an injured party to sue an insurance company along with the other driver. Only a few other states allow direct suits against insurance companies.
“I’ve actually talked to executives from other insurance companies that don’t write in Louisiana who have said that’s one of the reasons they won’t write policies here,” said Rep. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, the former vice chair of the House Insurance Committee. “They’re scared to death to be named in the lawsuit.”
Supporters of Talbot’s bill say that preventing insurance companies from being sued directly could entice more companies to write policies in Louisiana, thus creating competition among insurers.
“When we have competitive insurance companies, and everyone is trying to get as much market shares as they can, is when rates go down and policyholders benefit,” Talbot said.
Some insurance companies are reluctant to write policies in Louisiana because they are not sure if they will make a profit, said Richard Piazza, chief actuary at the Louisiana Department of Insurance. In the past year, six insurance companies left Louisiana, Talbot said.
Third, Talbot’s bill would increase the time that injured parties have to file lawsuits. Victims now have one year to file a lawsuit, but the bill would increase that to two years to give parties more time to settle out of court.
The final issue addressed in the bill is a rule that prevents a defendant from introducing evidence that a person filing an injury claim has received payment from another party.
“In Louisiana, a doctor just fills in a blank check of how much it’ll cost to fix your injuries, and what the actual medical bill was isn’t admissible in court,” said Seabaugh. “You may have used your insurance and gotten a discount for that procedure, but in Louisiana they’re paying for damages that are not incurred.
"It inflates the claim. When claims get inflated, premiums go up.”
Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, has filed a bill that would allow juries to hear whether or not an injured victim was wearing a seatbelt at the time of an accident.
Currently, that information is not admissible in court in Louisiana.
“If you’re not wearing your seatbelt, and you’re injured worse because you weren’t following the law and weren’t properly protecting yourself, why should the person who hit you have to pay because that’s partly your own negligence?” Seabaugh said.
Opponents say that Talbot’s bill would make it hard for victims of serious accidents to gain the compensation they deserve, especially since many drivers in Louisiana have relatively low incomes and the insurance companies have much deeper pockets.
They also argue that the law involving seat belts should not be changed.
“People who are not in favor of tort reform would say whether I had some kind of safety device on shouldn’t matter on whether you should have to pay me for injuring me,” said Kenneth Haines, a plaintiff’s attorney in Shreveport.
“It would be like what if I was driving a car that didn’t have air bags?
"Should I be penalized because I drove an older vehicle and didn’t have airbags? Or should I be penalized because my airbags didn’t deploy?”
A series of bills by Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, take a different approach to lowering premiums and have gained the support of Edwards and trial lawyers.
These bills aim to prohibit insurance companies from using information such as gender, credit score or marital status in determining rates.
Lowering insurance premiums, whether through tort reform or other measures, could be a main topic of the legislative session if it resumes with enough time left or if the governor calls for a special session later and agrees to include tort reform as one of the topics that can be debated.
“We’re all suffering from this, and it’s time to address it,” Talbot said.dell, has filed a bill that would allow juries to hear whether or not an injured victim was wearing a seatbelt at the time of an accident.
Currently, that information is not admissible in court in Louisiana.
“If you’re not wearing your seatbelt, and you’re injured worse because you weren’t following the law and weren’t properly protecting yourself, why should the person who hit you have to pay because that’s partly your own negligence?” Seabaugh said.
Opponents say that Talbot’s bill would make it hard for victims of serious accidents to gain the compensation they deserve, especially since many drivers in Louisiana have relatively low incomes and the insurance companies have much deeper pockets.
They also argue that the law involving seat belts should not be changed.
“People who are not in favor of tort reform would say whether I had some kind of safety device on shouldn’t matter on whether you should have to pay me for injuring me,” said Kenneth Haines, a plaintiff’s attorney in Shreveport.
“It would be like what if I was driving a car that didn’t have air bags?
"Should I be penalized because I drove an older vehicle and didn’t have airbags? Or should I be penalized because my airbags didn’t deploy?”
A series of bills by Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, take a different approach to lowering premiums and have gained the support of Edwards and trial lawyers.
These bills aim to prohibit insurance companies from using information such as gender, credit score or marital status in determining rates.
Lowering insurance premiums, whether through tort reform or other measures, could be a main topic of the legislative session if it resumes with enough time left or if the governor calls for a special session later and agrees to include tort reform as one of the topics that can be debated.
“We’re all suffering from this, and it’s time to address it,” Talbot said.